The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-08-03

"A GLANCE Ar CAPTURED CoNFEDER.
ATE FLAGS AT wASIIINGTON.

'NNp' III 'hc "if department.
Dieter to the New York WORLDLY
WAsnINGToN, July Yesterday in
walking through the immense granite
pile Of tho State, War and Navy Depart,
ments, / was taken with tho curiosity to
sec the battlo flags which have set the
country in nm uproar, Turning to the
right from tho main corridor OF the
building on the second floor, | entered
the commodious apartments OF the Ad-
iutant Generals ollicc, and found myself
confronting at corner desk in one OF
tho rooms, rather staturcd man, of
woll'fcd form and placid face, with his
coat of like an ordinary clerk, bending
to his work, alternately mopping the
heat from his forehead and signing or
doris. This individual looked as little as
possible like kindling the memories of II
great rebellion or starting the world on
ilamo III any quarter. The heat of tho
day seemed oil sufficient for his cncrgics.
All tho same, 1t was General Drum,
Adjutnt General of the United States
>Nhhhgb Oh II SID Oh
paper addressed to Mr.. Cleveland fcw
weeks ago, and recommended the di,tri-
button over the country OF q variety of
tatterod bunting in tho garrett OF the
War Office, set the country by tho cars
and is likely to play considerable role
III q coming campaign for al American
President. l had been told that Adiu.
tant General Drum WAS extremely scllsi-
tive to the inquiries of visitors concern
ing this same bunting. | was agrccably
surprised, therefore, on informing this
gentleman that / had witnessed in tho
old days of tho rebellion the spectacle of
tho arrival Of many of those flags in the
War Department, fresh from the battle
fields on which they were captured, and
of my wish to again inspect thcm, at be.
ing met with the blandcst Of smiles and
promptly put in charge OF an attendant
with instructions TO aid my mission
Carried by an elevator five stories ND,
under the roof Of the War Del artmeut,
almost burning in this Washington sum
mer weather, the key being TUNED hy
my guide III the door OF an attic room, /
stood an Instant later i'll little s,acc
hardly more than ten feet s,luaro, ncarly
within reaching distance on all sides OF
these battered mCmCntOs Of tho WGr, the
very mention OF which has set alirc the
hearts OF sixty millions OF people a icw
rags saturated with the explosive wash
Of patriotism But the first thought on
seeing them i'll this pcnt up space OF
attic is OF tho smallncSS OF the cause to
the size Of the cilcct. Tho flags hcapcd
about the room appear at iils, sight only
handful mt tho most, but counted hCpa-
lCtcly there are 700 i'll all, over live bum.
drcu OF them being Confederate and the
remainder Federal iing8 rCcapturcu from
lhCir captOrs. One half oil tho entire
nmmbcr are attached TO their stavos ~
as they were originally taken, the illgs
OF the two sections being stacked III
separate masses against two sides OF tho
room, facing the other half folded and
protruding from pigeon holes on the OPP
posito walls. The sight of the stars and
stripes keeps always familiar. Eut The
first look nj the dark red heap Of the
banners OF rebellion, piled here against
tho side OF the attic, blots ont twenty
five years from the memory aud brings
back rs II itWerC yesterday, tho red years
when klcy waved at tho head of their
regimontSa There is hardly q flag among
them all that i4s not its history record
ed in the book in tAa hands OF tho keep
or of tho room. Nearly oil arc riddIcd
with bullets, and many, like those car
ried through such battles as the Wilder
ness and the second Bull Run, were ahot
literally into tattcrs and almost un-
recognizable sprays OF rag.
The contrast i'll tho appearance OF the
Southern and Union standards is signli-
cant OF the history Of the war. The lat
ter are riggcd on clean polished poles
aud are OF Iirln, rich material many OF
them OF silk, showing OH abundance in
the North OF the fabrics Of which they
continued to be made. The majority Of
the Confederate flags arc OF tho wretch
egt shoddy bunting, miserable i'll color,
ns III substance, while great numbers of
thCm arc mounted on rude, Embarked
gads and sapiRgs, hastily cut from the
woods on the march recalling tho
blockade and the pinChing days when
war had fallen on II section without
manufactures, and the intense, desperate
purpose of people forgot sccmlincss
and absorbed every thought but the win
ming OF their fights,
kany OF tho tags lying folded IL the
boxes and taken out TO bc exhibited by
the guardian of tho room recall still
moro wildly the narrow straits Of rebel
lion on It's last legs, being literally indo-
pondcnt of discrimination in color and
made bf patches from womon'a dresses
and undorskirts OF nearly cvory hue and
naterial--pjtiful reminders of the Spar
tan poverty and courage that were stiil
to fail of their end. There arc some cx,
coptionR, however, in this storeroom OF
bastIe trophies, to these mcmentos Of
the Stern0r days OF tho war for the
South. Tho attendant drow from the
pigeon holes on the walls and unfoldcd
Tor my inspection throc or four magniii-
cent banners of heavy silk, fyingcd with
tsssols OF gold and ornamontpd with
pictures in oil and rich oilbroiderings on
b Geld OF bluo. These flags represent
tho carly and halcyon days OF tho Lost
CauBe, when they were made by local
associations Of ladies and presented to
the military organizations which carried
them. One of those hegs belonged to
tho Apalachicola Guard, whose name is
hiitnhoI II, ,yoiI lnttnpa on ITO folds nhnvp